ABOUT “LANDSCAPE ENVELOPE” CONCEPT FORMING IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY SCIENCE

The article is devoted to the theoretical substantiation of the concepts “geographic envelope” and “landscape envelope”. For this, the reasons for the origin, development and meaning of the concept of “landscape”, its established definition, geographical distribution, structure of landscapes, etc. are specified. The landscape is considered as a certain exogenous system of the terrestrial type, as part of the geographic envelope. The definition is based on the root words “land” and “terra”. The geographic envelope contains three main megasystemic parts (stages): a – continents and islands; b – the World Ocean together with separate seas; c – coastal zones with active interaction between “a” and “b”. As part of the geographic envelope, their total area is 509471.21 million km2, including a = 29.22 %, b = 60.83 %, c = 9.95 %. Each part (step) is fundamentally unequal in genesis, location, boundaries, structure, dynamics, belonging to a hierarchical series, etc. Accordingly, the system hierarchical series “a”, “b”, “c” and each taxon are different organization level. By definition, organization and properties, the continental land system is landscape, the oceanic hydrogenic is thalassogenic, and the coastal-marine system is an aquascaping natural system, each with a different level of organization. Along with the systems of the atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, they fill the area of the geographic envelope and are inextricably linked. Thus, in principle, it is impossible to equate the concepts of “geographic envelope” and “landscape envelope”.

geographic envelope, landscape envelope, structure, landscape, natural systems, land, ocean, coast